Precast building slab



April 13, D. J HURLEY PRECAST BUILDING SLAB 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 23, 1937 INVENTOR Dan j Hurley ATTORNEY April 1939- D J. HURLEY 2,154,619

PRECAST BUILDING SLAB Filed July 23, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dan J Hurley INVE TOR ATTORNEY April 18, 1939. D. J, HURLEY PRECAST BUILDING SLAB 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 23, 1937 Patented Apr. 18, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT; err-"ice r r I grascasr nrn rmo I manuumlmamcsm.

Ill, a l slsfllflno. 155m China. (01-72-40) My present invention relates in general to structures of the character used in buildings and relates in particular to a building slabwhich is pre-cast from suitable plastic or cement-like materials and also to means for securing the slab in placeinorasapartof astructure.

It is an object of the invention to provides unitary slab made from durable and preferably fire-proof material and having peripheral securin'g elements whereby such a slab or any desired number of them may be secured to a frame or wall structure, such as a floor, inner or outer side wall, roof, or ceiling structure, and whereby adjacent slabs may be secured together. The slabs may be of any size or shape, within reasonable limits, and the thickness of the slab may naturally vary with the character of materials used therein, the size of the slab with relation to the spacing of the supports to which it is secured, and the stresses which must be carried. It is contemplated that rectangular is the peripheral form of slab which will be most extensively used, but other polygonal shapes may be adopted in the practice of the invention in accordance with requirements of structural and artistic design. For example, avery satisfactory artistic eflect may be obtained in floors, walls, and ceilings by the use of the slab in hexagonal form.

It is a further object of the invention to provide pre-cast slabs of the character hereinbefore set forth which are especially adapted for use in steel frame structures and which have peripheral securing means of metal adapted to be welded together and also to the steel slab supporting members of the frame structure. The peripheral securing means are imbedded in the peripheral portions of the slabs and are connected by reinforcing means preferably of bar form which extend from each edge of the slab to the opposite edge thereof. Accordingly, the welding together of the peripheral securing means of adjacently placed slabs has also the effect of joining the reinforcing members of one slab with the reinforcing members of the other slab.

It is a further object of the invention to pro- I vide pr'e-cast slabs adapted to be assembled on a frame structure in edge to edge relation, these slabs having metal reinforcing members therein so placed that when the slabs are joined together and to the frame members, the metal reinforcement of the slabs will have the capacity of reinforcement for the frame structure. In the preferred form of the invention the reinforcing means of the slabs include diagonal metal members extending from edge to edge of the slabs necessary to employ ordinary types and being so placed that when the slabs are assembled in position on the frame structure these metal members of the slabs will have diagonal reinforcing'elements extending from one member of the frame structure to another. Accordingly, l where my slabs are employed in. a building structurethe framework may be of simple form for -the reason that the diagonal reinforcement therefor is provided by the metal memberscontained in the slabs. Otherwise stated, the diagonal reinforcing means of the slabs are tied together and to the vertical and horizontal members of the frame structure so as to become a part of the frame structure, thus making it unof diagonal reinforcement in the frame structure.

It is a further object of the invention to provide slabs of the character above described having means to space the same apart so that spaces will be left between the adjacent slabs, in which 29 spaces welding may be done for the purpose 'of connecting the slabs together and to the metal members of the frame structure. In the preferred practice of the invention, this spacing means may be, or may constitutes. part of, the periphem] securing means. An especial feature of the invention is that adjacent slabs may be secured .together at any place along the perimeters there-- of, thereby making it possible to use the slabs under conditions where the ideal placing of .the 30 structural members and the slabs cannot be followed.

It is a further object of the invention to provide slabs which are economical to make and apply, and which contribute to economy inbuilding construction "and which may be used for floors, ceilings, interior and exterior walls, roofs, and column or pilaster construction.

The material from which the body of the siab is made may be generally referred to as cellular for the reason that this term will apply to a hard ened mass of cement or concrete mixture, to a body made from an aqueous mixture of cement a a. embodying the features of my invention. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view showing a preferred use of the slabs in conjunction with steel frame members, such as fioor joists or wall studs of a building frame structure.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken as indicated by the line 22 of Fig. 1. w Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken as indicated, by the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a view showing a manner in which the space between the slabs depicted in Fig. i

' the metal parts of the adjacent slabs.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary plan view similar in general character to Fig. 2, but showing how the joints between the slabs may be placed inoffset relation to the steel frame members.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view of an assembly of slabs, some of theseslabs having the surface portions thereof broken away so as to disclose the reinforcement therein, this view showing the manner in which the reinforcing bars of an assembly of slabs cooperate to form the steel rein forcement for the building frame.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary section of a peripheral portion of a, slab having a part thereof broken away to show an alternative manner of forming and anchoring the peripheral or perimetrical connecting or securing means.

Fig. 11 is a section taken as indicated by the line of Fig. 10.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings I show a preferred form of slab embodying the principles of my invention. This slab 22 is preferably of rectangu lar form, as shown, and is relatively thin as compared with its length and width. Itis cast from cementitious material such as, for example, a mixture of aggregate and Portland cement, and for interior or partition wall purposes it may have a considerable proportion of gypsum therein so that it will have light weight, yet sumcient strength for the use to which it is to be put.

An especial feature of the, invention is that along the periphery thereof it has securing means 2| by which it may be secured in place in a building structure. Although this securing means 2| may be spaced at intervals along the periphery of the slab 22, it is preferably continuous as shown and may be made from a metal bar ,or rod 22 extending along the side and end faces 22 and 24 of the slab 20, which edge faces define the periphery of such slab 2|l.

The securing bar 2| is connected to the peripheral portion of the slab 20 by means of suitable anchorage means 25 which may be of a number of different forms, as will be hereinafter described in detail. A simple form of such anchoringmeans 25 is as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 to 6 inclusive, wherein it is depicted as a bar 26 bent to sinuous or zig-zag form so as to provide inner and outer peaks 2'! and 28 disposed in substantially parallel rows along the length of the anchoring member 25. The anchoring member 25' is placed so that. the outer row of peaks 22 will engage the bar 22 and so that the inner row of peaks 21 and 22 will be within outer peaks 22 ably by welding. this the slab 22 is cast.

As shown in Figs. 2,1,2, and ii, the bar 22 is placed so that it will lie llainst the lower portions of the edge faces 22 and 24 and so that the lower part ofv the bar 22 will Just touch the plane defined by the under face 22 of the slab 22. This leaves a considerable portion 2| of the edge faces 22 and 24 exposed above the bar 22, and when the slabs 22 are placed in side by side relation, asshown in Figs.,2, 4, and 5, the exposed portions 2| of the edge faces 22 and 24 define side walls of grooves or channels 22 between the adjacent slabs, at the bottoms of which grooves theaanchoring or connecting-means" are situate v The slab 22 preferably has reinforcingmeans extending therethrough, and this reinforcing means may be in the form of a metal fabric of some character. In the ordinary practice of the invention I prefer to use diagonal reinforcing bars 22 placed so as to define rectangles or squares. These bars 22 are disposed in crossing relation and the ends 24 thereof are connected to the bar 22 by welding. As bestshown in Fig. 4, the bars 22 are spaced above the lower face 22 of the slab 22 and the ends 24 thereof overlie and engage the upper face or portion of the bar 22.

In the preferred practice of the ipvention, members, such as angles 25 of a building frame structure, are placed as shown in Fig. 2 so that the ends 26 of the slabs 22 will lie in adjacent relation on the exposed faces of the angles 25, and preferably the ends of the slabs of adjacent horizontal rows of slabs are offset so that the grooves 22 defined by the ends 22 of the slabs will not form continuous vertical lines. However,- this placing of the slabs so that the ends thereof will rest upon the angles is not always possible and, as shown in Fig. 8, it may be at times necessary to place the slabs 20 with the ends 26 thereof disaligned from the angles 22 which are to support them.

Figs. 4 to 7 inclusive show the manner in which welds may be employed to secure the slabs '20 in place on the building frame structure.

Preferably electrical welding is to be employed, and, as shown in Fig. 4, the electrode 4| of an electric welding equipment may be passed down through a groove or channel 22 and, with the underlying angle 25 grounded with the electrical welding circuit, a weld 42 may be made in the position shown, this weld 42 being fused with the angle 25 and the adjacent securing means 2| of the slabs 22. Accordingly, depending on the position of the weld, it may connect bars 22 with an angle 25, as shown in Fig. 4, or it may connect to the angle 22, bars 22, and the ends 24 of diagonal bars 22, as shown in Fig, 6. A weld 4B, placed as shown in the circle 2 of Fig. 2 and as shown in Fig. 6, will connect two comers 42 of adjacent slabs 22 with a longitudinal edge 44'of a slab and also to the angle indicated by 25a in Fig. 2. A weld 40', placed as shown in circle I of Fig. 2 and as shown in Fig. 7, will connect adjacent edges 45 together and to the underlying angle 25a.

After the desired number of welds 40 have been applied to accomplish the required tying of the slabs 20 to the metal framework, the grooves 22 may be filled with plastic material. As an 'larly with respect to the beam 53.

example of how the grooves may be filled, I have in Fig. 5 shown a body of packing or caulking material 31 placed in a groove 32 to seal the lower portion thereof and a layer of cement 43 applied over the packing material 41.

In Fig. 9 I show a weld 40b employed to connect bars 33a and 33b together and to a structural member 50. The bar 33b is connected by means of a weld c with a diagonal bar 330 which is in turn connected by means of a weld lid with a metal beam 5i placed perpendicu- Other sets of diagonal bars 33 of the slabs are connected together by welds l0 and are connected to the members 33 and SI. Accordingly, the diagonal bars 33 of the slabs serve as diagonal reinforcing rods connected directly to the beams of the framework of a structure by welds. In the preferred practice of the invention, the diagonal rods 33 are so placed that the ends 34 thereof are disposed on center lines 53 spaced apart at distances 9: constituting or forming a division of the distance d at which the beams of the framework, for example, the beams SI of Fig. 9 or angles 35 of Fig. 2, are spaced, thereby making it possible to readily weld the diagonal bars 33 in end to end relation and to metal members of the framework. 1

Where there is a random spacing of thends 33 of the slabs 2| relative to the beams or angles 33, as shown in Fig. 8, many or all of the ends 33 of the slabs may lie in overhanging relation to the beams 33. These overhanging ends 38, however, are not unsupported, for it will be seen that welds I connect corners 43 of longitudinally consecutive slabs 23 to the edges 44 of adjacent rows of slabs.

In Fig. i I have shown a preferred form of slab I. which is reinforced so that it will carry loads such as applied to floors, roofs, and exterior walls. There are many uses of the slabs, for instance, as partition walls, wherein material strength is-not required in the slabs. In such cases the slabs may be made without internal reinforcement, but merely with peripheral connecting means. Such peripheral connecting means may be made as shown in Fig. 1 or as shown in Figs. 10 and 11 wherein I show the edge portion of a slab 200 having a bar 22 placed along the periphery thereof, such bar being connected by means of welds 55 to tie or anchoring means consisting of perforated flat plates 56 extending inwardly and upwardly from the edge faces 3| of the slab 200.

I claim as my invention:

1. A structural member of the character described, comprising a flat slab having a bar extending along the edge thereof and means for connecting said bar to the edge of said slab consisting of a rod bent to sinuous form so as to provide an outer row of peaks which are connected to said bar in such a manner that the sinuous rod will extend from said bar into the edge portion of said slab.

2. A structural member of the character described, comprising a flat slab having a bar extending along the edge thereof and means for connecting said bar to the edge of said slab consisting of a rod bent to sinuous'form so as to provide an outer row of peaks which are connected to said bar in such manner that the sinuous rod will extend from said bar into the edge portion of said slab, there being a reinforcing fabric of diagonal bars extending within said slab, the edge of said fabric being connected to said bar.

3. A structural member of the character described, comprising a fiat slab having top and bottom faces and a peripheral edge face disposed in a plane transverse to the planes of said top and bottom faces, said slab having a bar narrower than said edge face extending along the lower portion of said edge face and means for connecting said bar to said slab consisting of a rod bent to sinuous form so as to provide an outer row of peaks which are connected to said bar in such manner that said sinuous rod will extend into the edge portion of said slab, there being a reinforcing fabric extending within said slab comprising diagonal bars having the ends thereof connected to said first named bar.

DAN J. HURIEY. 

